A Battle for Destiny
by BrokenLeadingLady.x
Summary: Shion and Manaka only ever wanted a friend, and they found one in each other. Little did they know, when tragedy would rip them apart, the one who was left would have the greatest battle of all on their hands...  Better than it sounds! Contains OCs
1. Beginnings and New Friends

Chapter I: Beginnings and New Friends

_I am Shion Nakatomi. Until a few years ago, I was no more than your normal teenage girl - little circle of friends, happy enough life, you wouldn't even have been able to pick me out of a line-up... That is, until I got involved with the Mishimas._

_I won't hold anything against her, after all, she can't help where she came from, but..._

_After getting involved with them, I descended into what I hated most - evil, destructive, you name it. But I got it all back..._

_To completely understand our stories, mine and hers, we need to go back a while..._

* * *

Mishima High School...

Thursday...

11:00 am...

During morning interval at Mishima High, a girl of around 15 with shoulder-length blonde hair stood in a corner.

_Alone again. Sweet,_ she thought.

She sighed and looked around for a while, before she noticed another girl with long, black hair who looked about her age standing in another corner, alone, much like herself, but people seemed to be... almost avoiding her, for some reason. She frowned, all too aware of how the other girl must have been feeling. She decided to approach her, to see if she was okay.

"Hey," she smiled, getting the other girl's attention.

"Hi!" the other girl grinned, looking rather happy for someone who was being avoided like the plague.

"I'm Shion. What's your name?"

"I'm Manaka. I'm new here, but no-one's talking to me, which _kiiii_nda sucks."

_I recognise that girl's name... but from where?_

"What's your last name, Manaka?"

Manaka looked down.

"...It's Mishima. But don't get the wrong idea!" she quickly added.

"Just because I've got 'cursed blood' or whatever doesn't mean I'm gonna eat your face or anything! ...Why did I just mention eating faces to the one person who bothers to talk to me...?"

"Hey," Shion smiled. "Cursed blood doesn't bother me much. You wanna hang out?"

Manaka stopped her strange, nervous rant and grinned, happy that someone actually wanted anything to do with her. Whatsoever.

"Yeah! Thanks!"

_Throughout the years, Manaka and I became the best of friends, and through the war her brother, Jin Kazama, had waged on the world, we became closer than ever, even through the chaos. Manaka had tried so many times to reason with Jin, to try and talk some sense into him, but all to no avail._

_Through this time, Manaka grew to hate her bloodline even more than she already did, so much so that she counted me as her only family, which I was more than happy to take the role of._

_Sadly, Jin would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and what he wanted at the moment, amongst other things, was to get to Manaka._

* * *

4:00pm, and the pupils of Mishima High were finally released, all free for the weekend. As she was walking, Shion couldn't help but feel like she was being watched... and as if her mind wasn't her own.

A moment later, her head was suddenly filled with spreading pain, and as she collapsed on the ground, she could just make out the silhouette of someone with a needle in their hand.

* * *

Later that night, and time had fallen still. Shion had regained her conciousness, but couldn't open her eyes at all. Becoming more aware of her surroundings, she felt liquid all around her.

_Where... am I? And why am I in water?_

And then was when she heard it. A voice in her head that certainly wasn't her own.

("Make them pay,") it said. The voice was terrifying, demonic, but almost somehow... appealing. Like she didn't want to listen, but something in her... _made_ her listen.

_Who..._

("I am the destroyer Azazel,") the voice cut her off, as if knowing already what she would say. ("My wish is to exact revenge upon those who have you captive.")

_Why?_ she asked.

("I have my reasons.")

_...How can I make them pay, they have me captive. For all I know, they could be planning on keeping me here forever, then what good would I be._

("I can give you the strength to destroy them, to take your revenge upon them for harming you.")

She hesitated.

_I... I wouldn't want to destroy anyone..._

("Oh, that is right... You do not know what they have done to you... Well, take a look at this, then...")

As if on cue, Shion recieved a mental image, of herself, in a large, cylander-shaped tank, clear liquid all around her and an oxygen mask on her face, her hair floating around in the liquid.

_I knew that much..._ she thought.

The scene played on.

Through the door came several scientists, and none other than Jin Kazama.

_That bas- Ugh, I should have known this had something to do with him!_

Her blood boiled as she silently watched upon the scene.

"Any developments?" she heard him ask.

"No, nothing yet sir. She is still alive, which is a good thing..."

"Good. Remember to keep her like that until I get what I want from Miss Manaka..." With that, he left the room.

The voice in Shion's head was silent now, and she could have cried at that. For some unknown, unfathomable reason, her heart longed for it to talk to her again.

Silence deafening her for a moment, she wondered.

_How did I get myself into all this...?_

* * *

_If your "only family" was in danger, would you come to her rescue?_

Manaka couldn't get that one, stupid line out of her head as she stormed through the all-too-empty upper halls of the Mishima Zaibatsu, with one place in mind.

She would naver have been here if it wasn't for that letter she recieved the other day...

_If your "only family" was in danger, would you come to her rescue?_

_If so, be at the Zaibatsu. 11:00pm. Tonight._

_- Your brother._

Her eyes narrowed, before she kicked the door wide open.

"Kazama!" she shouted.

A smirk crept upon Jin's face as he kept his back to his sister.

"Yes?"

"You sent a letter," Manaka said, throwing said letter at Jin, even though his back was still turned.

"What did you mean, 'my only family'?"

Jin's smirk grew wider and more sinister as he truned to face his sister.

"You see, Manaka... your beloved friend, the sister you never had, Shion... She's with us now."

"Excuse me?" Manaka asked in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"She's in our captivity," Jin clarified.

"What the hell? Why?" Manaka practically screamed.

"Think of her like a... bargaining chip. You see, we are going to... "get rid" of her, unless you give us some help."

Manaka opened her mouth to protest. Nothing. She opened her mouth just to speak. Nothing. She opened her mouth to agree.

"...What do you want me to do?"

Sadly, that worked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shion was still in her state of semi-conciousness, alone, feeling distinctly lonely. If the mental image was anything to go by, she was in a sizeable lab... all to herself. She was more than sure that the Zaibatsu would be running tests on her, but still, the idea of having only machinery and row after row of empty tanks as company... scared her.

She mentally sighed. She only wished for some company, that was all.

_I feel so wronged. I didn't even do anything to Jin. I want out. I want..._

She paused for a moment, realizing what she partially knew all along.

_I want revenge._

("My offer still stands,") the voice echoed in her mind. Shion's heart leapt - though she was still unsure why - and a smile formed on her lips. This was her chance...

_I'm all yours._

Suddenly and without warning, Shion began to undergo a transformation.

She grew fur in certain places, and her skin became a pure white, with strange, black markings on her chest. Her nails grew until they were claws. Her lips and hair turned chaos black and her eyes, a glowing, penetrating blood red. A third eye appeared on her forehead and white feathered wings tore from her back.

She burst out of the tank she was being held captive in and ripped the oxygen mask off. Several alarms rang out; they must have been monitoring her. Several soldiers, some armed with guns, ran through into the lab. A smirk of pure evil crept upon Shion's lips; she knew they were no match for her. She could feel the immense power that came with this form.

She flew into the air, firing a blue laser from her third eye straight at the soldiers, taking a considerable number of them out. The soldiers, most of them terrified, continued to fire their guns at her, but none of them injured her. She descended back to the ground, resembling a demonic angel, her eyes firmly locked on the humans before her.

She reached out her hand and raised it up, raising the soldiers with it, before throwing them all to the side with her newfound telekinesis, knocking most of them out, breaking the rest's skulls.

She began to laugh, softly at first, morphing into the laugh of an insane, inhuman being as she stood victorious over the broken, mangled soldiers.

Her transformation was complete.

She was no longer Shion...

But Devil Shion.

* * *

A/N: Hi! I hope you all liked chappie 1~  
I'd really appreciate hearing from you guys what you thought of the first chapter. (Which includes constructive criticism!)  
And if anyone's wondering about the story's title, it shall become clear, don't you worry =)

Thanks for reading!


	2. The Deadly Deals

Chapter II: The Deadly Deals

_Ugh, this is typical. Just when you think you're finally allowed some happiness, some contentment, your insane, evil brother goes and wrecks it all. ...Okay, maybe it's not typical, exactly, but..._

_And to make matters worse, the other day, I went and agreed to go along with one of Kazama's plans, for the purposes of making sure nothing would happen to Shion._

_Shion. The one and only friend I had, the one person who cared about me in the whole, entire world, made evil by stupid, stupid JIN._

_...Eww. Jin. I _hate _him. Poor Shion always talked about how she hated all the 'evil forces', and now, thanks to him, she's one of them._

_But anyway! Before I go on forever and ever, I gotta go. Can't say what I've gotta do, though... Be killed if I did, so... yeah._

_But seriously, this has to get fixed soon, or... we'll all be doomed._

* * *

_(Manaka's POV)_

Day one as one of the Zaibatsu's slaves. How fun. Well, _I_ won't be a 'slave', but everyone else is - all the little dudes who only work for Kazama because they fear him. I don't. I actually pity him! I mean, he's got _some_ good in him, some far-off remnant of a heart, but I'm thinking, if we don't do something soon... that'll be looong gone. ...We're all cheery here. Bask in the glow.

Anyway, Jin had called me into his office, to discuss... "some stuff". Very informative, Jin...

I reached the heavily guarded door to Kazama's office, sighing; I had the feeling that this was gonna be a loooong meeting.

I entered the room to see that no-one else was there. Just me and my crazy brother. Thanks a bunch, life!

"Manaka. I'm glad you came." Well, of course I came. If I didn't, my brains would be on a local _wall_, jerk-off. Obviously, I kept _that_ thought quiet.

"So what did you want to see me for? Informative though it was, there's a few ways 'some stuff' could be interpreted." Boo-yah, much?

Jin glared at me for a moment, causing me to have to desperately hold back laughter.

"Sorry," I said, barely keeping my amusement back.

"I have a matter of great importance to discuss with you. That's your cue to _stop_ laughing, by the way."

"Fine, fine. What's the matter?"

"First of all, Manaka. Have you ever met a woman called Zafina?"

"Uh... Za-who now?" I asked, immediately wishing I could've handled that more professionally.

Jin just stared at me.

"Zafina," he repeated, with more emphasis than last time.

After a little thinking, I remembered who this Zafina was, though she was commonly referred to as 'that chick with the prophecies' by me.

"Oh, yeah, that chick with the prophecies?" ... That was just beautiful, wasn't it.

"...Yes. That works," Jin said.

"Have you heard her latest prophecy, about the demon in Egypt?"

"...Hmm... No. But I'd be willing to bet that it had something to do with a demon in Egypt."

Jin just sighed and went on.

"Well, first of all, Manaka. As you well know, Shion has gone evil, yes?"

"Well, yeah..." I sighed. I really missed her...

"As it goes, Shion has somehow gained a certain gene, one that exclusively runs in _our_ veins..."

I gaped and blinked in shock. "You don't mean... the Devil Gene?"

Jin nodded.

"...But how?"

"I had her put in cryogenic sleep so that experiments could be run on her, and- will you stop glaring at me like that while I explain? But yes, while she was in this sleep, she somehow underwent a transformation."

Jin clicked up a file on his computer before turning the screen to face me. I didn't wanna look, but I had to - in front of me was a slightly blurry, but very real, picture of my former best friend in Devil form. But one question still played on my mind... _how?_

"I have a few questions to ask, but I'll ask one I haven't already asked first - what has that Zafina girl got to do with all this?"

"Zafina's prophecy declares that when two 'evil stars' clash, a demonic beast will awaken from under this temple..." Jin clicked up another picture, this time of a massive temple in the middle of a desert.

"...team up with his minion - that's Shion - and destroy all existence."

"You WHAT?" I exclaimed. Shion? Destroy _all existence?_ No, no, no. That chick's gotta be worng... surely...

"Um..." I tried my best to keep it together, but I was sure I was gonna break sooner rather than later. "How did she get the gene?"

"We have no idea. My scientists say that nothing and no-one could have got in or out of that tank, so we're absolutely lost."

I sat trying to absorb this information, but it wouldn't sink in. It was like a surreal nightmare, but no matter how hard I tried, there was no waking up.

"Also," Jin continued, "the prophecy states that three "shining stars of light" shall come against the beast, and states that two of the people involved in the battle shall fall."  
"Lemme guess - the shining stars of light are gonna fall."

"It doesn't say, just that two involved shall die."

I was so shocked, frightened to the core, you could say. I knew that Shion was evil now, but I didn't want to see her hurt. I was still deeply worried about her, but... there wasn't anything else to be done, now...

"Manaka, as my employee, I need you to do something."

"...What?" I asked. As if I didn't already know...

"Find the so-called "Devil" Shion. You must destroy it before the thing under the temple awakens, to halt, or at the very least stall, it's awakening. You must."

My brain wanted to just say yes and go, recognising that my former friend wasn't the same person now, evil beyond repair, but my mouth and my stupid, stupid heart just kept going, believing we could save her.

"No! I will _not_ destroy someone I hold so dear. Not for you and not for anyone. She's been better to me than you ever were, than you ever could be. I won't do it!"

"Yes, you will. You are under my employ and you will do as I say, or you will face the consequences."

"Fine, jeez!" I shouted almost immediately, knowing exactly what Jin's brand of 'consequences' were, knowing they were far from nice. I got up and left, knowing in my head that this was right. And as for my heart...

Just remind me never to believe my heart.

* * *

_(Normal POV)_

Manaka silently walked along the desolate streets, under the cover of nightfall. She had a strange feeling - one she couldn't shake off, or put her finger on.

She remembered her and Jin's earlier conversation at the Zaibatsu.

_This prophecy must be wrong. Shion wouldn't hurt a soul - she's against everyone else who does!_ The air seemed to grow colder as another thought came into her mind.

_Or, at least... she used to be._

Just then, a blue laser came from the sky, aimed straight at Manaka's head. She narrowly escaped it, and turned her head upwards to see her attacker - and when she did, she automatically wished she didn't.

"Sh-Shion?"

The creature formerly known as Shion smirked, remaining silent.

"Shion. You have to fight the evil within you! It'll be hard, but I know you can do it, I know it!"

The creature just continued to stare at Manaka from the sky, still smirking.

("Shion isn't here anymore,") the creature spoke directly into Manaka's mind via telepathy. ("She is long gone.") It's voice sounded demonic, inhuman, but still slightly like Shion's did.

("I am Devil Shion, born of the devil and the one in my head.")

_Maybe she's just gone a bit cuckoo from the Devil Gene. I mean, the one in her head? Has she got schizophrenia or something?_ Manaka's train of thought was interrupted by another laser, this time, one that actually hit her.

"Aaaagh!" she cried in pain.

"You big, freaky mean thingy..."

Devil Shion rolled her...it's...eyes at Manaka, before descending to the ground.

"Oweee... Listen up, Shion. I know you're really there. Somewhere. I know you're just lost in the devil's darkness, but you can be free of this evil force that's controlling you."

("You understand so little,") Devil Shion spoke in Manaka's mind again, before sending her flying with a swift kick to the chest.

("I _am_ the evil force.")

"Hey, now, I don't wanna fight!" Manaka exclaimed. "Fightin's boring! You know, when it's as spectacularly one-sided as this and all... I just wanna talk to you!"

("Talk, then we fight.")

"Uh... I guess we all have to compromise!" Manaka said, before mentally hitting herself.

_You're gonna _die_ here thanks to that remark, ya know that?_

"_Any_way... I have a few questions for you. Not too many, though."

Devil Shion nodded her head, signalling for Manaka to go on.

"Well... who's this person in your head? How did you get the devil gene? Are you working for someone? If so, who? Why've you gone all evil? Do you wanna kill _everyone?_ And... ehhh..." Manaka stopped there, looking at the way her ex-best friend was looking at her - a mixture of confusion and wish to kill the person in front of her.

"_Mayyybe_ I should ask 'em one at a time, then," Manaka smiled nervously. "So, question one: the Devil Gene. How'd you get that?"

Devil Shion smiled, a lot more genuinely than before. Manaka hated that; all it did was remind her of the person that this creature no longer was.

("Evil people had me captive, with no means of escape. My master saved me by blessing me with this power.")

"Excellent! Not at all confusing..." Manaka muttered the last part. "Anyway," she went on. "Your master. Who's that?"

Devil Shion paused for a moment, still staring ahead at Manaka.

("Someone who is tiring of your talking. As am I,") she eventually said.

"But-"

("I was not sent here to talk,") Devil Shion cut her off. ("I was sent here to destroy anyone who intended to get in our way.")

Manaka blinked, tensing up, preparing for the worst.

("It's... strange, though.")

"Hm?"

("There's something inside me that almost doesn't want to hurt you. It's almost like... like I know you.")

Manaka smiled sadly. She could have told the creature that they _did_ know each other, and she wanted to, but...

_It's not like it would mean anything. Not now._

"Maybe in another life," she said, that sad smile still on her face.

Devil Shion twisted her lips, as if in thought.

("Go,") she eventually spoke.

"...What?"

("Leave, now. I won't harm you this time, but the next time... I can't promise you'll be so lucky.")

Manaka couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, much," she said.

Devil Shion never said another word, she just flew away. Manaka smiled, like nothing would stop her. She knew that Shion was still in there somewhere.

But, that just made her think. If her orders were to destroy that thing, that meant that she truly did have to kill someone she cared about. At least before, she could pretend that it was just a big, evil monster (as it still, technically was), but now...

_There's no way I can do it._

She just kept going, one place in mind.

* * *

"Excuse me! Can we help you?"

"Well, seeing as how I'm knocking on _Jin's_ door, I'm kinda trying to see, oh, I dunno, _Jin?_"

"Come in," came Jin's voice from the other side of the door.

Manaka stuck her tongue out at the door guard and entered.

"Hello, Manaka," Jin greeted.

"Hey..." Manaka said, flashing a thin smile at her brother.

"I'm here to talk to you, ya know, about the whole thingy thing."

Jin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, no, not the thingy thing..." he said flatly.

"The thing you asked me to do. The devil girl thing." Manaka clarified.

"What about it?"

"Well... in short, I'm not doing it."

Jin blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I don't want to fight her. If it were any other monster thing, I'd fight the thing. But this... This is a totally different issue. I mean, if we kill her, it's not like there's any way to get her back after that. So..." Manaka trailed off.

"So, what?" Jin asked.

"So, if you're that determined to have her dead, then I'm gonna have to quit. I mean, it's not like I have any real reason to stay, because I was only staying to make sure you didn't kill her before, and now she's not in your captivity, I can just go."

Jin sighed. "That girl really is important to you, isn't she..."

"You're too right, she is. She's been good to me, and she didn't have to be, so I think I at least owe her this."

Jin appeared to be in thought. Manaka let her eyes wander around, before she caught sight of a clock which read _1:00 am_.

"I gotta go," Manaka said, turning to face the door. "You can let me know what you've got to say tomorrow."

"Goodbye, then," Jin said, which was answered by a wave over the shoulder.

On the other side of the door, Manaka sighed. If she quit working at the Zaibatsu, there was a chance they were going to be after her, too, knowing what Jin was like. And even if they weren't after her, that meant she had to work alone to stop... protect... well, do whatever it was she wanted to do with Shion.

_I have one hell of a battle ahead of me..._

She continued on her way.

* * *

A/N: Hi again =) Hoped you liked chappie 2! I know that was a quick update, but... yeah. Chapter 3 won't be so quick though - still working on it. (Still to start it, actually... nice job, eh?)

Oh, and if you're thinking that Manaka's POV part seemed a little... childish, maybe, or confusing... That's just kinda how she is XD

Once again, I'd love to hear what you all thought. I always welcome concrit too, coz' I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing.

But, with all that out of the way, nothing left to say except thanks a lot for reading chapter 2! :3


	3. The Stars of Salvation

Chapter III: The Stars of Salvation

In the face of adversity, people resort to many things to keep trouble away, one common example being to band with others, even if it may seem futile.

Manaka was practically in that situation, except she was missing one key thing.

The people to work with.

She couldn't, _wouldn't,_work with Jin at the moment, for more reasons than one, and as far as asking friends goes, well, she didn't have any. In fact, the closest thing she had to a friend was the thing she was fighting against.

She sighed. _I need a break..._

In desperate need of rest, she slinked into a quiet cafe on the outskirts of town. She winced a little as she sat down; she was still in pain from her encounter with Devil Shion the other day.

She tried to still her racing mind and enjoy the brief moment of peace that she had as she sipped at some coffee, but she kept noticing that someone was eyeing her from across the room; namely the psychic woman, Zafina.

_Please don't talk to me, please don't talk to me, please don't talk to me..._

"Manaka?"

_Dammit..._

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to face her.

"I am afraid that I must ask a... rather large favour of you."

Manaka sighed. "Okay, if this favour involves the words "Devil Shion" then the answer is, uh, NO."

"Please, listen!" Zafina pleaded. Manaka could see the visible panic in her eyes, so she decided to at least hear her out.

"Where I come from, there is a prophecy."

"Yeah, Jin's explained that to me. The evil stars, the destroyer, and the devil girl?" Manaka asked. _There's a sentance I never thought I'd say..._ she thought.

"Yes. You see, from a young age, I have been told that it is I and two others who must fight against these threats. I am asking for your help in the matter."

"Sorry, sweetie," Manaka said, "but I can't help you out. I've already had a run-in with Devil Shion, and she's incredibly powerful. And brutal. And possibly schizophrenic. If that thing under the temple awakens, well, I don't know about you, but I know that I'd be slush in two seconds flat. I'd be no use to you."

"But we could stop Devil Shion before the creature awakens, if we all come together."

"Yup, that's my current job. And you know, I've been thinking of quitting that, so I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I halped you."

"Please, Manaka. With your Devil Gene, you have more of a chance than anyone else. We need _you_ for this to work."

Manaka sighed exasperatedly. "Two syllables for ya, hon - dor-mant."

"Yes, _dormant._ But you still have it, and it can be activated. We need someone with the Devil Gene - active or not - to have a chance at destroying this being. Please, help us."

"...Okay, I'll help," Manaka relented. "But if we all get creamed, I'm blaming you."

Zafina's formerly bleak expression instantly turned to sheer joy.

"Yes, yes, you can blame me for _anything!_" she announced, before grabbing Manaka by the hand and coaxing her to her feet.

"Come, you must meet the others! Or, rather, the oth_er..._" Zafina trailed off.

"Hold the bus. There's only three of us?"

"Well, when I told them everything, not many people were very willing to help..."

Manaka facepalmed.

"Well, I guess it's worth a shot..."

* * *

Not even ten minutes ago, Manaka was sat in a cafe, all on her own, trying to get some peace and form a solution to the current problem at hand. Now, she was in the hotel room of a slightly crazy woman who she barely knew, about to meet another person who may or may not be just as crazy, or _worse._To make things just that little bit worse, she was all on her own again, as Zafina had run off to get the other person, who Manaka had discovered was another girl.

_How the heck did I ever get here..._Manaka wondered.

A while later, Zafina arrived back, with another girl in tow.

"Manaka, this is Star. She will be helping us in the battle against the destroyer and his minion. Star, this is Manaka, the girl I was telling you about."

"Hi, Manaka!"

"Hey, Star," Manaka greeted, looking at the new girl. She had platinum blonde hair with black streaks through it that reached her shoulders, wearing a long, black dress.

"So Zafina told me that you're gonna help us with the... uh... things!"

"Um... yup?"

"Great! We'll have a way better chance at beating 'em with a big _demon_ on our side!"

"Um... sorry to burst your bubble, but... I can't. Well, maybe I could, but... it's complicated. All I know right now is that at this point in time, I can't. Sorry," Manaka apologized again.

"Um..." Star looked confused and disappointed at this news.

"Oh, well. We can still try! I mean, we're still all really strong!" Star announced.

"Hells yeah," Manaka agreed, smiling, leaning back on the bed a little. "So, what's our game plan, then, Zafina?"

"Well, first of all, we must dispatch Devil Shion. She is far less of a threat than the beast under the temple, but she is causing havoc here and must be dealt with."

Manaka's expression darkened significantly, her eyes meeting the floor.

"Also," Zafina continued, "at least one of us must be on _constant _watch, to ensure that the two evil stars do _not_clash. Manaka, I will put you in charge of this," she finished, sympathy evident in her voice as she looked at Manaka.

"Thank you," Manaka smiled, though she was still clearly sad.

"Um, evil stars? Weren't we supposed to make sure that two guys didn't fight?" Star asked, her head tilted a little to the side.

"It is a metaphor," Zafina sighed. "Manaka, you actually have to be on the lookout to make sure that two certain people come nowhere near each other."

"Which people?" Manaka asked.

"Two that you of all people should know rather well - Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima."

"Ahhh, I see..."

"So, to sum up: Keep Jin and _father_ - _ha_- away from each other. That'll be easy, seeing as how I work for Jin, or rather, I probably still work for Jin..." she trailed off, realizing that Jin hadn't got in contact with her.

"Um, Manaka? If you don't mind me asking... what's the 'ha' for?" Star piped up.

"...I never knew my father. Not really. I lived in an orphanage for all of my childhood. When I met Kazuya, we ended up in these _huuuuge_fights. I don't care though. His loss, right?" Manaka laughed.

"...New subject," Star said, rather swiftly. "All we have to do is beat up this chick, right, Zafina?"

"Um, Star, bear in mind that this is no regular "chick"..." Zafina reminded.

"Yeah, she's a big devil chick," Manaka added.

"Big woop! We can take her!" Star proclaimed, very enthusiastically.

_Yeah, ignorance is bliss,_Manaka thought. She was still doubtful that the three women would be able to take on Devil Shion, let alone this other thing that was seemingly Devil Shion times 1000.

"Now," Zafina said, interrupting Manaka's train of thought, "we will put our plans into action tomorrow. Manaka, you will follow Jin and make sure that him and your father do not engage in battle, while Sasha and I work on finding and destroying Devil Shion. Okay?"

The other two nodded their heads.

"Okay then, now that that's sorted out, you two can go home now. After all, we'll all be all the rest we can get for this one..."

* * *

On the way home, Manaka checked her phone for what had to be the billionth time. No missed calls. She checked her messages, and noticed that there was one unread message sent earlier on today.

_You win. You don't have to go after the girl, just keep your position as my bodyguard. I expect you back to work tomorrow._

_- J._

Her heart leapt, then promptly sunk. She had gotten out of one person's plan to kill Shion, and straight into another's.

She sighed.

_Looks like we just can't win, Shi... _she thought.

_Looks that way, huh?_

Manaka stopped dead in her tracks. That voice wasn't her own, but she knew it all too well.

_...Shion?_

A laugh.

_It's dangerous to stop dead in the middle of the road, you know._

_What-?_

_You should get some rest, Manaka._

_But-_

_See you later!_

_Wait, Shion!_

Manaka never got a reply. She continued on her way home, tired, confused, happy, sad, and almost every other emotion you could name.

She entered her house and headed straight for bed, direly needing a decent night's sleep. She tossed and turned for what must have been a good few hours before finally drifting off to sleep, dreading the next day.

Her dream, though, was the best thing that had happened to her in ages.

* * *

A/N: And what happened after that? Well, you'll just have to wait and see! Muahahaha... *evil face*

Feel free to review and tell me what you thought of the chapter, feedback's always more than welcome! I'm always looking for ways to improve, so if you can think of anything, feel free to tell me. I won't bite~

So, thanks a bunch for reading! =)


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